Wet spinning of textile fibers



Jan. 3, 1950 v. PAINTER, JR

WET SPINNING OF TEXTILE FIBERS Filed 1' 1947 lmllllllimg Hill Patented Jan. 3, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WETSPINNING OF TEXTILE FIBERS Eric V. Painter, Jr., Newtonville, Mass, asslgnor to Fabric Research Laboratories, Inc., Boshn, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application October 1, 1947, Serial No. 777,332

(c1. s': s5)

11 Claims.

The present invention relates to the preparation of textile filaments and more particularly to wet spinning of textile fibers such as cotton and re on.

The Whittier et al. patent, No. 2,412,641, describes a process and apparatus for wet spinning in which a liquid is applied to the fibers after drafting, but prior to twisting. by keeping the front drafting rolls of the spinning frame wet, so that the roving is wetted as it passes under pressure between the front rolls. Numerous benefits result, as is described in detail in the Whittier et al. patent. The tensile strength of the yarn is significantly increased, fuzziness or beardiness of the spun yarn. resulting from loose ends of the staple fiber projecting from the yarn. is reduced, contributing to an improved appearance of the yarn, and the amount of loose lint and fly which accumulate in and about the drafting frame is reduced. However, running the front drafting rolls wet is not entirely practicable in operation on a commercial scale.

It is an object of the invention to provide a practicable, commercial process and apparatus for wetting the textile fibers in the spinning operation after drafting of the roving has been completed, and before the twist has been imparted to the yarn.

A further object is to provide a process for wetting the textile fibers before twisting without wetting any part of the drafting mechanism. Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

In accordance with the present invention, the drafted roving is wetted after completion of the drafting operation, i. e., after the roving has left the front drafting rolls, and before twisting. The liquid is applied at a point spaced less than a staple length from the front drafting rolls, preferably at a point spaced a small fraction of a staple length from the front drafting rolls. The wetted yarn is then twisted. The apparatus of the invention takes the form of a separate attachment which can be moved out of the way when desired. as in putting up an end, or in doffing or donning, so that the apparatus does not interfere in any way with the usual operation of the spinning frame. The front drafting rolls are run dry in the normal way.

The process and apparatus of the present in vention produce wet-twisted textile yarn with all the advantages referred to in the Whittier patent but without the disadvantages inherent in the use of wet drafting rolls. The strength of the spun yarn is increased some 15-20% by application of 2 water alone; by application of certain resins the strength may be increased as much as 30-40% or more. At the same time, the elongation at break is reduced to about two-thirds the corresponding elongation of similar yarn which is twisted when dry in the conventional manner. The number of free fiber ends projecting from the surface of the yarn, i. e., the fuzziness of the yarn, is materially reduced with consequent improvement in strength and appearance of the yarn and reduction of lint about the spinning frame.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Fig. 1 is an elevation of the attachment in operative position on a spinning frame, showing conventional parts of the drafting frame in cross section;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the attachment with the liquid supply tube broken away;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2; and,

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line H of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, the apparatus is shown as applied to a well-known type of long draft spinning frame which comprises a roll beam 2 supporting, by means of a roll stand (not shown), the back drafting rolls 4, 6, middle drafthas rolls l, I! and front drafting rolls II, M.

A scavenger roll it is mounted below the bottom front roll l2 and operates in the usual way to take up the broken end when an end down occurs. A clearer roll l8, running in contact with the upper front roll ll, may be provided.

A strand of roving ill is supplied to the spinning frame from a roving creel (not shown) from which it passes to the drafting rolls through a threat 2!, which is carried on the traverse bar 2| and thus moved periodically back and forth over the length of the drafting rolls. The middle rolls a, ll operate at a higher speed than the back rolls 4, B, so that the roving strand is attenuated in passing from the back rolls to the middle rolls. The

front rolls i2, ll, likewise operate at higher speed than the middle rolls 8, ill, so that a second stage of drafting is applied to the fibers in the interval between these pairs of rolls. From the front rolls, the drafted strand 26 passes through a pigtail 2| carried on the roll beam 2, from which it passes through the traveler 29 of the spinning ring mounted on the ring rail 30 and thence to the bobbin 3!, on which it is wound. The twist imparted to the end of the yarn as it is wound on to the bobbin runs back along the strand 26 to the point where the strand is prevented from rotating by the grip of the front rolls II. N, as is well known in the art.

aceaaso The attachment of the present invention includes an applicator, indicated generally at A. Fig. 1; means. including tube 34 a fixed arm and a. pivoted link 38, for supporting the applicator from the cap bar rod a trough 42 in which the applicator may be rested in inoperative position; and a drip tray 44 for catching any excess liquid which may fall from the applicator or the yarn while the frame is in operation.

The applicator includes a center body spar 06 (Figs. 2, 3, 4) on which its other parts are supported and which is welded or otherwise suitably secured to the tube II. The entire applicator is maintained in proper spaced relation to the front drafting rolls by means of a pair of spaced side arms 48, 5|, having rounded noses 52 and M. respectively, which engage and ride on the shanks of the rolls II, II, as is shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 4. The side arms ll, are connected in proper spaced relationship by a transverse bar 56, preferably integral with the side arms, which overlies the front face of the center body spar It near its top and is permanently secured thereto by soldering, welding, brazing or in any other suitable way. The bar 56 is provided with an aperture through which tube 34 passes.

A lower strand-engaging member 58 in the form of a round bar is supported on the center body spar 46 for swinging movement toward and away from the traveling strand. In the form shown, the bar 58 is formed as a continuation of operating rod 60, which extends forwardly from one end 01' the bar 58 (Fig. 2) and through a supporting bar 62 which is supported at its other end on the body spar 46. At its forward end, the operating rod carries a knurled knob 64 which may be turned to rotate rod 60 and thus to lower the bar 58 from its operating position, shown in Fig. 1, into an inoperative position out of engagement with the strand 26, shown in dot and dash lines in Hg. 3. With the bar 58 in this inoperative position, as the attachment may be moved into or out of its operating position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, for example for moving it into or out of its rest trough 42, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

To hold the bar 58 in the proper predetermined operating position, the knob 64 is provided on'its rear face with a vertical notch 88, which cooperates with a detent 68 on a leaf spring II. The leaf spring I. is secured to the center body spar by means of machine screws 12 and held in spaced relation to the supporting bar 62 by means of a spacer block 14. The detent 68 is fixed to the front face of the leaf spring 10 near its outer free end and thus is pressed by the spring into the notch 66 when the bar 58 is in its operative horizontal position. The operating rod I is held against forward movement under influence of leaf spring II by means of a spacer sleeve It secured to the inner face of the supporting bar I! and hearing at its opposite end against a stop pin it, passing through and fixed in the operating rod OI.

Secured to the outer low side of bar II is a drip guard which serves to catch any liquid which may drip from the strand 2' after it has passed over the bar 58 and thus to keep the lower front drafting roll I! and the scavenger roll ll dry.

The drafted strand 26 after leaving the front drafting roll passes over the bar it and thence to the pigtail 28. Liquid is applied to the thread as it passes over bar It by means of a cooperating upper bar If. The bar I! is fastened by welding to an apron 84 (Fig. 4), which. in turn, is con- 4 nected to an angular arm Ill. Thearm It is carried on transverse shaft 88 whose ends are received in suitable apertures in u ears I! of a U-shaped clip whose back 98 is fastened to the lower end of the center body spar ll by a machine screw 92. The aperture in the back 90 through which the machine screw :2 passes is preferably elongated to provide for vertical ad- Justment of the clip on the center body spar I6 :12) adjust the vertical position of the upper bar The treating liquid supplied through the tube It drips on to apron 84, spreads over its upper surface and flows downwardly and forwardly over upper bar I! and on to the traveling strand 2. A guard member 9| overlies the forward part of the apron It to catch line from the strand and prevent its collecting on the apron 84 and interfering with proper flow of liquid to upper bar 82. Preferably, apron 84 and the guard SI are formed stock by cutting this to the proper shape and then folding and bending it into the desired form. The angular arm Ii carries a rearwardly-extending counterbalance arm 96 which is threaded at 80 at its outer end for the reception of counterbalance weights I'll. The weights it! are so selected and adjusted as to permit the apron assembly to pivot forwardly under its own weight toward the strand :6 about the shaft l8 and to rest on the strand with the desired pressure. Preferably this pressure should be sufficient to stop the twist from running up the thread beyond the bars 58 and 82. The apron is provided with a depending ear I02 (Fig. 4) which engages with a pin ill on the operating rod 60 to limit forward movement of the apron assembly when the lower bar II is swung into its inoperative position.

The applicator is supported from the cap bar rod I so that it can be pulled forwardly to clear the rolls II and is and then swimg upwardly and placed in the trough bar rod 40 is provided fixed against rotation pivoted on the cap bar maintained in engagement with the shanks of the front draft rolls i2, ll. One fixed arm I. may serve for two, or more, pivoted links 80.

Treating liquid is supplied to the tube 34 by means of flexible tubing ill connected to the upper end of the tube. A needle valve i2. may be adjusted to control the rate of supply of liquid to upper bar 82.

Any liquid which may drip from the lower end of drip guard III is caught in the drip lappet out of the way to bobbin I'GIIIOVG 0! replace a draft unit in any suitable ,as means of emails. Thetroughfl m by maybepmvidedwitha 8 draintube lllwhichconvenientlymaybea lengthofilexibletubinsandmayleadtothedrip pan ill.

The operation of the device will be generally apparent from the foregoing description of its construction. The applicator is placed in operation by lifting it from the trough II, rotating the knob ll counterclockwise to move the lower bar 58 into the inoperative position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The applicator is then pulled forwardly againsttheactionofspring lit and moved downwardly and inwardly until the noses I! and 54 seat on the shanks of upper and lower rolls i2, ll. The knob I is then rotated clockwise to swing lower bar it upwardly into a generally horizontal position and into engagement withthe strand It. This adiusted position of bar II is predetermined by the position of the notch on the rear face of the knob thus no particular care or attention on the part of the operator is reunited in placing the device in operation. The operator simply turns the mob Cl clockwise until he feels the detent ll drop into notch II, whereupon he knows that the lower position.

The needle valve III is then opened to permit liquid to how on to the upper surface of apron N and is adjusted to provide the desired rate of flow, which may be the amount of liquid which the drafting strand I will absorb without excessive drip. For doifing and donning or for piecing up a broken end, the applicator may be swung up into its rest position in tray l2 without adjusting the needle valve III. Liquid flowing from the tube 34 will be caught by the trough and carried on through drain tube I". The applicator is thus kept fully adjusted so that it may be quickly and conveniently put back in operation.

It will be observed that the treating liquid is a plied to the strand at a point very closely adjacent the front drafting rolls i2, N. In practice I have found this distance to be criflcal and that it must be less than an average staple length and preferably is a small fraction of a staple length.

The traveling roving strand thus is wetted after it has left the drafting zone but before it is twisted and this is accomplished without wetting the front drafting roll or any other part of the drafting mechanism. The strand is wetted before it has traveled more than a staple len h from th drafting zone, and preferably before it has traveled more than a small fraction of a staple length from the drafting zone.

It may be necessary in changing from one type of yarn to another to adjust slightlythe counterbar II is in proper balance weights ill to obtain the proper pressure of the upper bar 82 on the traveling strand 28. This pressure should be such as to stop the twist, that is to prevent the twist imparted to the strand 2G by the spinning unit from traveling along the strand above the bars 5H2, but should not be so great as to cause suiilcient friction to tend to break the yarn. The arrangement whereby the upper bar 82 is free to move toward and away from the lower bar ll accommodates the normal slight variations in the thickness of the strand 26. In so moving, the upper bar travels along a path generally perpendicular to the strand 28, that is in a direction generally in the plane of the axes of the bars.

It will be appreciated that the process and apparatus of the present invention are useful in connection with doubling frames or in connection with frames for simultaneously twisting and B doublingstrandsofroving. 'lheprocessandapparatusslsocanbeusedfortreatingnlaments and are useful generally for application of various typesofiinishingmaterials suchas sizing.flameproofing, mildew-proofing. moth-proofing. water. proofing, and similar materials. Application of theseflnishescanbeaceomplisheddirectlyinthe spinning frame without alteration of the standard spinning equipment other than by attachment of the device of the present application. The standard installed equipment thus does not have to be rebuiitfand the substantial investment represented by spinning frames presently in operation is protected.

It will be appreciated that other types of spinning units than that shown and described herein. e. g., ring, flier or cap types of spinning units may be employed in connection with the present invention. Likewise the particular arrangement of drafting rolls shown and described is not an essential feature of my invention and my attachment may be used with any of the standing drafting frames.

I claim:

1. The method of spinning textile fibers which comprises drafting a traveling roving strand of textile fibers in a drafting zone to elongate the strand and reduce it to suitable size for spinning, applying a liquid treating medium to the drafted, dry, untwisted strand after it has left the drafting zone, and then immediately twisting the wetted. drafted strand.

2. The method of spinnin textile fibers which comprises draftin a traveling roving strand of textile flbers in a drafting zone to elongate the strand and reduce it to suitable size for spinning, applying a liquid treating medium to the drafted, dry, untwisted strand after it has left the drafting zone but before it has traveled a staple length from the drafting zone, and then immediately twisting the wetted. drafted strand.

3. The method of spinning textile fibers which comprises draftinga traveling roving strand of textile fibers in a drafting zone to elongate the strand and reduce it to suitable size for spinning, applyin a liquid treating medium to the drafted, dry, untwisted strand after it hasleft-the drafting zone but before it has traveled more than a small fraction of a staple length from the drafting zone, and then immediately twisting the wetted, drafted strand.

4. The method of spinning textile fibers which comprises drafting a traveling roving strand of textile fibers in a drafting zone to elongate the strand and reduce it to suitable size for spinning, engaging the dry, untwisted, traveling strand by spaced members on opposite sides thereof after it has left the drafting zone, and supplyin liquid directly to one of said members.

5. The method of spinning textile fibers which comprises drafting a traveling roving strand of textile fibers in a drafting zone to elongate the strand and reduce it to suitable size for spinning,

wetting the drafted strand by engaging the dry,

untwisted, traveling strand by spaced members on opposite sides thereof after it has left the drafting zone but before it has traveled more than a staple length from the drafting zone while maintaining one of said members in a wet condition, and twisting the wetted, drafted strand.

6. The method of spinning textile fibers which comprises drafting a traveling roving strand of textile fibers in a drafting zone to elongate the strand and reduce it to suitable size for spinning,

fowettingthedraftedstrandbyengagingthedry,

onaco untwisted, traveling strand by spaced members on opposite sides thereof after it has left the drafting zone but before it has traveled more than a small fraction of a staple length from the drafting zone while maintaining one of said members in a wet condition, and twisting the wetted, drafted strand.

7. In a textile spinning frame including spaced pairs of drafting rolls adapted to be rotated at different speeds for progressively drafting a roving strand to reduce the same to a suitable size for spinning, the combination with said rolls of mechanism for supplying the liquid to dry drafted strand after it has left said rolls without wetting any of said rolls, comprising spaced members connected to said frame and engaging said drafted strand between them, and a conduit for supplying liquid to one of said members.

8. In a textile spinning frame including spaced pairs of drafting rolls adapted to be rotated at different speeds for progressively drafting a roving strand to reduce the same to a suitable size for spinning, the combination with said rolls of mechanism for wetting the drafted strand after it has left said rolls without wetting any of said rolls, comprising spaced members connected to said frame, engaging said drafted strand between them and positioned less than a staple length from said rolls, and means for supplying liquid to one of said members.

9. In a textile spinning frame including spaced pairsof draftingrolls adaptedtoberotated at different speeds for progressively drafting a traveling roving strand to reduce the same to a suitable size for spinning, the combination with saidrollsofm for wetting thedrafted sis'and after it has le said rolls without wetting any of said rolls, comprising spaced members connected to said frame and engaging said drafted strand between them, one of said members being mounted for free swinging movement toward and away from said traveling strand, and means for supplying liquid to one of said members.

10. An attachment for a spinning frame for applying a treating liquid to the traveling textile strand after drafting and before twisting comprising a bar having a rounded surface for engagement with the traveling strand in its operating position and mounted for movement into a position at right angles to said operating position, a second bar extending generally parallel to said first bar in its operating position and pivoted on said attachment for bodily swinging movement toward and away from said first bar. and means for conducting a treating liquid to said second bar.

ll. An attachment for a spinning frame for applying a treating liquid to the traveling textile strand after drafting and before twisting, comprising a pair of spaced arms each having a rounded nose for engagement with the shanks of the front drafting rolls, a bar connected to and extending between said arms in an operating position and mounted for movement into a position at right angles to said operating position, a second bar extending between said arms generally parallel to said first bar in its operating position and pivoted on said attachment for bodily swing movement toward and away from said first bar, and means for conducting a treating liquid to said second bar.

ERLE V. PAINTER, Js.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

nm'ran era-ms PATENTS Number Name Date 2,125,633 Harrison Aug. 2, 1988 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 12,525 Great Britain of 1895 

